Rivers in Myanmar

Rivers play an essential role in Burmese culture. The way of life and transportation methods in Myanmar are closely linked to the more significant rivers in the area. This aspect of the rivers is reflected in their culture as well. The majority of river regions have a thriving boating industry and travel hundreds of kilometres to transfer commodities or fish. Some sections of these rivers are regarded holy by these people and can only be accessed in specific ways. Fish, reptiles, and giant mammals live in Myanmar’s rivers, which sustain various plants and animals. The following are some of Myanmar’s most significant rivers.

Overview of Rivers In Myanmar

• Irrawaddy

The Irrawaddy River, one of Myanmar’s rivers, travels for 2000 kilometres and starts and finishes inside the nation. It helps people to transport from the far north to the delta regions. The one thing about this vast river that is still a constant even in these days of globalisation is the lives of those who live along its banks. Life on the river has remained unchanged for generations.

 The junction where the Irrawaddy river begins is approximately 43 kilometres north of Myitkyina, Kachin State’s capital. Mai Kha river from the east of the high Himalayas and the Maa river from the west of the Himalayas mingle and form the Irrawaddy river. 

• Salween

The Tibetan Plateau is the source of the Salween river, a 1,491 mile-long river. It runs across three Southeast Asian nations before flowing into the Andaman Sea. It drains a 320,000-square-kilometre watershed that straddles China, Myanmar, and Thailand. The Salween is one of the world’s longest free-flowing rivers, harbouring a population of more than 7 million people split among 13 ethnic groupings. UNESCO has designated the river’s upper reaches in China as the world’s most biodiverse temperate environment.

Although the soil near the Salween River is believed to be particularly rich for farming, the Teak forest in Myanmar and Thailand is supported by the soil along the river. The Salween runs through narrow, steep canyons in its higher reaches, making the areas near the river wild and beautiful. It runs across Myanmar’s Shan Plateau, which is bridged by the Myanmar Route (Huiting Bridge) and other road ferries. It has 324,000 square kilometres (125,000 square miles) and extends over three nations and four Myanmar states.

• Mekong

The Mekong River passes through six nations in Southeast Asia: Myanmar, Thailand, China, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. With its length of 2,703 miles, it is the region’s longest river, Asia’s seventh-largest, and the world’s twelfth-longest river in terms of overall length. Total 795,000 square kilometres of land exist under the Mekong River’s surface. The river receives its water from the Tibetan Plateau and travels to the Vietnamese delta, where it discharges 457,000 cubic kilometres of water each year.

The river’s name, which translates to “Mother of Water” in Thai and Lao, suggests that it originated in Thailand and Laos. The Mekong supports the livelihoods of about 60 million people and serves as a vital supply of food, a method of transport, and a water source for many people. After the Amazon, the Mekong has the world’s second-largest aquatic biodiversity. The river is also culturally significant for the communities along its banks, including the Akha, Shan, and En people.

• Chindwin

While it is a long way from being hailed as Yangon Myanmar’s “Mother River,” the Chindwin is just 600 miles long compared to the 1350-mile-long Ayeyarwaddy. She is, however, the largest tributary of the great Ayeyarwaddy and pours her might into the longer river at a location not far from Mandalay.

Due to the dense jungles and towering mountains that characterise the Chindwin Valley, the valley is slightly more secluded than the lowlands along either banks of the Ayeyarwaddy River. As a result, the people’s cultures are less contaminated, and the cities and villages that line the river have an otherworldly aura, even in this nation steeped in old customs. Their open-air bamboo homes border the small, shady pathways where bullock carts transport goods and passengers.

• Sittaung River

The Sittaung River is situated in Yangon, Myanmar’s east-central region. The river is navigable for 40 kilometres all year and 90 kilometres for three months of the year. Between the wooded Bago Mountains on the west and the mountainous Shan Plateau on the east, the vast Sittaung River valley has the main road and rail from Yangon (Rangoon) to Mandalay, and the significant cities of Bago, Yamethin, and Taungoo. The river is primarily utilised to transport wood, mainly teak, for export.

The Sittaung River, while flowing through the relatively level territory, has a severe tidal bore near its mouth, which has prevented all but the most miniature boats from traversing the river. The river is mainly used to transport lumber south for export. River transportation in eastern Myanmar has become even less profitable due to the strong currents. As a result, it does not have the same agricultural potential as the Irrawaddy since no dirt from the Shan Hills is carried down into its basin.

Conclusion

As with many other rivers in Asia, the rivers in Myanmar suffer from the consequences of pollution. For most of these rivers, industrial waste is the primary cause of pollution. Climate change has impacted the amount of water available and the water released by most rivers. Due to the lack of adequate rainfall, the water levels of these rivers are decreasing. Dams built along rivers, particularly the Irrawaddy river, threaten the species that rely on rivers for existence.